The Redondo Beach school board has taken a public stand opposing a new power plant in the city unless the facility meets all air quality standards, uses the best available pollution control technology and is deemed of "vital necessity" to the school district's energy needs.

The 4-1 vote on a resolution Tuesday came after board members revised the language to replace the word "opposing" in the title to "position on," a change made after hearing from a packed room of opponents and supporters.

The wording change was made because people had mistakenly believed the district was against the construction of the new power plant under any conditions.

The resolution was placed on Tuesday's agenda at the request of plant opponents, who believe local opinion will have an impact on the California Energy Commission's consideration of AES' permit for a new facility. AES has applied to the commission for a permit to build a new plant on the land it owns along Harbor Drive because the existing plant has an ocean-water cooling system that is being phased out by new regulations.

AES Southland President Eric Pendergraft said the application will comply with all required air quality standards and the Federal Clean Air Act, but the necessary air pollution credits will be supplied by the South Coast Air Quality Management District rather than AES.

Pendergraft explained to the board that the proposed new plant meets certain criteria that enables it to use a long standing regulation of the AQMD. While technically called an "exemption" because the pollution credits are supplied by the AQMD rather than the project owner, the new plant will still meet all applicable air quality regulations, he said.

"We will be producing 35 percent more electricity but overall emissions will be similar (to the existing plant)," he said. He cautioned the board that "the exemption (clause) could be a tricky and controversial issue."

But Redondo Beach City Councilman Bill Brand told the board that it was actually a simple issue.

"This is not going to be a cleaner plant," he said. "That's why they are asking for exemptions."

Pendergraft said that opponents of the new plant are unfairly claiming it will increase local particulate pollution by comparing its full potential capacity with the relatively low rate of production maintained by the current plant. He said the new plant would run at approximately 20 percent of capacity.

Brand countered that AES has consistently been lowering its stated run rate of the new plant.

"Even at 20 percent, you are looking at 15 tons (of particulates)," he said. "That's a fourfold increase" from the existing plant.

About 25 opponents of the resolution wore paper buttons at Tuesday's meeting. The group questioned whether the current facility had the negative effects on students claimed by plant opponents. They also said the Redondo Beach Unified School District was overstepping its bounds in weighing in on the new power plant.

Joel Leniham asked for the lights in the room to be turned off "because that's what they (the opponents of the new plant) want."

"I don't see the issue," he said. "What we are going to get is a better plant."

But opponents of the plant emphasized the extensive evidence of negative health impacts from particulate air pollution. "There is no safe level of air pollution," said Roger Light, a clinical neuropsychologist who also stressed the AES plant's status as the city's greatest stationary source of air pollution.

After the vote, both sides claimed small victories. Opponents of the resolution were happy about the language changes, and opponents of the new plant were pleased that an elective body in the city had finally taken a stand on the issue.